6-5-4 Casino table poker game

ABSTRACT

A casino table poker game comprises a player makes an Ante wager to play in the poker game, and a first number of cards being dealt to the player. A second number of cards is dealt to a dealer. The second number of cards dealt to the dealer is greater then the first number of cards dealt to players. The dealer displays at least a first card from the second number of cards dealt to the dealer. The at least first card analyzed by an automatic game rule of play to determine whether the card must be discarded. If the rule operates to require the at least first card be discarded according to the automatic game rule, the dealer must play the dealer hand with fewer then the second number of cards dealt to the dealer. After a final number of cards has been decided in the dealer&#39;s hand, the poker game is played to conclusion according to the game rules.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to poker variants and casino table pokergames in which a player competes against a dealer for payouts on wagers.In particular, the present invention relates to casino table poker gamesthat provide a player with an enhanced perception of game outcomeinsight in play of a card game against a dealer hand.

2. Background of the Art

Numerous card games systems have been developed for gaming andentertainment purposes. Many of these card games systems have beenadapted for use in casino wagering card games, such as blackjack andpoker, to name a few. The development of successful casino card gamesmust address several distinct criteria.

As with all successful games, a successful casino card game must beentertaining for the players and offer an apparent chance for success atthe game. To be sufficiently entertaining, a card game must balanceoften-competing factors. These factors include complexity and challengeof game play, the pace of game play, the element of chance, the level ofplayer skill and strategy, the amount of player interaction, the numberof wagers at stake and the apparent chance of success and strategicdecision making by the player.

Aside from the effect on the entertainment value of the game, thecomplexity of game play is of practical importance to casino typewagering games. Overly complex rules of game play will prevent theattraction of new players to a casino game and might even frustrateplayers familiar with the game. Simple rules allow the game to be easilyaccessible to all. However, overly simplistic game play often results inan unchallenging and unentertaining game.

The pace of game play is also of unique importance for a successfulcasino game. The rapid turnover, or cycle time, in the wagering roundsis preferred by the house in a casino game to maximize the wageringcycles of the game. This must also be balanced against how the pace ofthe game play affects the entertainment offered by the game. In otherwords, at some point, increasing the speed of the game past a certainpoint will reduce the entertainment value of the game. Some players feelpressured if the game moves too fast.

Regarding the element of chance, it is fundamental to casino type gamesthat the element of chance plays a substantial role in the game. Theplayer preferably would like to feel that some control can be exercisedby players to enhance their chance of winning. At the same time, a gamebased solely on skill in making strategic decisions may tend tointimidate new players in a casino game environment. Additionally, ifskill could be exercised that would actually shift statistical advantagein favor of the player, casinos would not offer the game. However, inmost casino card games, winning is based on a combination of skill andthe element of chance, where a player's increased skill will increasehis likelihood of winning for short periods during repeated play.Consequently, the element of chance and the level of player skill andstrategy necessary are both of importance in player perception and thecasinos ability to offer the game.

Many different variations in the play of casino table poker games havebeen offered to provide a wide range of game play and maintain playerinterest in table games.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,170,827 B1 (Lombardo et al.) describes a casino tablecard game in which a greater number of cards are provided to a dealerthan to a player. The player provides a first stake and designating aportion of his lesser number of cards to correspond to that first stake.The cards dealt to a player (e.g., 4 initial cards) are split into twohands, each of which has a separate stake, and each of which playsagainst two hand segments established by the dealer. The player may alsorearrange cards in the first segment, if the player's hand ties thedealer's hand.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,836,553 (Suttle et al.) describes the basic play ofCaribbean Stud® poker. A five card hand is dealt to each player and to adealer after an ante bet is made. One card from the dealer's hand isexposed. The player may place a wager that is a multiple (usually 2× theante) to stay in the game after viewing the dealer's partially disclosedhand (e.g., the single up card). Bonus bets are paid in this game, onlywhen the player attains a ranked hand and beats the dealer's hand.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,861,041 (Jones et al.) describes the optional side betmade on bonus play in table games, specifically in Caribbean Stud®poker. With placement of the side bet, bonus hands are rewarded, even ifthe dealer beats the ranked hand of a player or does not qualify with aminimum hand ranking.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,685,774 (Webb) describes a casino table poker game inwhich separate bets may be placed by a player that a player's hand willeither exceed a predetermined rank or beat the dealer's hand. At leastone, but not necessarily both bets may be placed. A third optional betis available that backs up the wager as to whether the player's handwill exceed the rank of the dealer's hand. Wild cards are available, andan initial hand of four cards may be dealt to the player.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,012,719 (Webb) describes the basic game of three-cardpoker, which combines the play of Blackjack, a three-card poker game,and a side bet. A dealer's card is combined into the player's first twocards for the three-card poker play.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,851,011 (Lott) describes a: poker-type game withmultiple wagers, jackpots and insurance options. Multiple players wageron a single five-card player hand which competes against a single sevencard dealer hand from which five dealer cards are selected to form adealer's hand. Players win or lose as a group.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,027,119 (De Lisle) describes a method of playing a cardgame (non-poker type) wherein players' and dealer's hands are valued bydetermining the suit (in each hand) where the player's and dealers‘points’ are highest. There are optional call bets at various points ofhand disclosures.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,897,436 describes a modified poker game in which aplayer builds a hand, being dealt two cards at a time and discarding onecard at a time, until a hand is built of a predetermined number ofcards.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,206,373 B1 describes a method of playing a card gamewith a dealer's hand that has a permanent displayed card (e.g., the Aceof Spades). From the remainder of the deck, each player is dealt twoface-down cards, and each player may act on their cards, being given anoption to continue or fold and receive a portion of the wager back. Thenfive common cards are dealt face up, with the common cards being commonto both the dealer's and the players' hands. Players may receive awardsfor bonus hands.

U.S. Pat. No. 6,234,485 (Perkins) allows a player to purchase a bonuscard in the play of a casino table poker game, the card being deliveredwhen the first five cards is a losing hand.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,845,906 teaches the potential for the option of using asixth card in a dealer-vs.-player casino table five card poker game.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,915 describes an electronic six card poker hand,with an option of drawing cards available, and an optional sequence ofwagers.

Shuffle Master Inc.'s U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/277,508describes a game in which a Player may get additional cards when theplayer's hand has a low value. This activity does not require a sidewager.

In spite of the availability of many casino table card games in theliterature, only a few games have been widely successful in the casinogaming market. It is therefore desirable to provide a greater variety ofgames from which more successful table games can be found.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A method of playing a poker game comprises a player making an Ante wagerto participate in a poker game. A first number of cards is dealt to eachplayer making a wager and a second number of cards is dealt to a dealer.The second number dealt to the dealer is greater than the first number.The dealer displays at least a first card from the second number ofcards. The game rules may require that the dealer discard the displayedfirst card from the dealer hand, particularly if there is a playerperception (according to rules) that the displayed card is a card ofhigh rank or value. The game rules are automatic and do not allow thedealer to exercise judgment in discarding of the first displayed card.The dealer and the player then proceed to play the poker game toconclusion according to the game rules.

Another example of the game of the present invention is a method ofplaying an X-card poker game comprising a player making an Ante wager toplay in the poker game, and dealing a first number of X cards to aplayer. A second number of at least X+1 or X+2 or X plus more cards isdealt to a dealer. The dealer then displays at least a first card fromthe second number of cards. The displayed first card is considered withrespect to automatically played game rules. One possible effect of theautomatic game rules is to require the dealer to discard the displayeddealer's first card, especially if the card exceeds a particular rank(e.g., at least a 10, at least a Jack, at least a Queen, at least a Kingor an Ace). The dealer then displays another card to the table. WhereX+2 cards are provided, the dealer may be required to determine byautomatic game rules whether or not to discard another card by followingthe game rule that the dealer discards or does not discard another cardbased on rank, suit or rank and suit. The poker game is then played toconclusion according to the game rules. Additional side bets areavailable in addition to the play of the underlying game.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a playing surface for playing a casino cardgame of the present invention.

GAME DESCRIPTION

An exemplary game according to the present invention is a variant ofpoker, particularly a variant of stud poker, particularly 3-card,4-card, 5-card, 6-card and 7-card stud poker, although wild cardvariants of the game may also be played. An underlying concept in theplay of the present poker game is that the player competes against adealer for the best hand ranking. The dealer is provided a first numberof cards, and then the dealer is required to display at least a firstcard. When the dealer's first displayed card is at least a predeterminedat least a minimum rank (according to game rules) that might beconsidered favorable to the dealer or disadvantageous to the player,that card must be discarded. This procedure may be repeated more thanonce, depending upon the initial number of cards provided to the dealerand the minimum number of cards that the dealer must retain to play inthe game. The players are then dealt a hand of cards, typically one ortwo cards fewer than the dealer's initial hand. After the final numberof cards have been determined for the dealer (and the players), the gameproceeds to its resolution according to the game rules.

The game of the invention is preferably played with a standard single52-card playing deck of cards, although wild cards or special cards maybe provided and the underlying concept of the invention practiced.Multiple decks or special decks may also be used. In addition to theunderlying dealer versus player poker game, side wagers or side bets maybe made on special games or bonuses that are played without interruptionor change in strategy in the underlying game. These side bets may be forattaining hands of predetermined ranks, special cards in the deck,jackpot hands, strings of like card ranks, play in progressive jackpotgames, random awards, games played with discards or residual cards,match card games, and the like.

The game of the present invention will be described in greater detailbelow, with a representative game of 4-Card poker played between thedealer and the player. The dealer is dealt six (6) initial cards and theplayer is dealt five (5) initial. The game is played with the potentialfor the dealer to be compelled to discard up to two (2) cards so thatthe dealer will play the 4-Card poker game by selected from a dealercard hand of either 6 cards, 5 cards or 4 cards. This game will bereferred to as 6-5-4 Stud Poker™ game or 6-5-4 Poker™ game. The playerswill be dealt five cards and will discard one card to make their bestfour card hand.

A preferred version of the 6-5-4 Poker™ game can be generally describedas follows:

-   -   A) A single standard 52-card playing card deck is used to play        the game and each player makes an Ante wager to enter the game;    -   B) Players who have made the Ante wager are dealt five cards        (four cards may also be dealt to players) each to make their        best 4-card poker hand. The dealer is initially dealt either six        cards but could be dealt five cards. Depending on rules and        events in the play of the game, the dealer gets either 6-cards,        5-cards or 4-cards to play the round of the game, depending upon        how high the rank of individually exposed cards are at various        stages of play.    -   C) The basic game is played by steps C)-F) where the dealer        originally is (by way of example) dealt six cards, with five        cards face down and one card face-up.    -   D) If the dealer's first face-up card is a rank of 10 or higher        (this is a particularly effective rank, but it is possible to        change the predetermined rank to 9 or higher, Jack or higher,        Queen or higher, King or higher or Ace, or if a wild card is        present, a wild card which would be included in “higher” for any        other predetermined rank), that card is discarded from the        dealer's hand, leaving a working hand of five cards face down. A        second card is then turned face-up from the dealer's remaining        five cards. The player has not had to make any strategy        decisions at this time.    -   E) If the second face-up card has a rank of 10 or higher, that        second face-up card is discarded, leaving the dealer with a        4-card hand, with four cards facing down. If the card is a 9 or        lower, the card remains in the hand.    -   F) When the dealer has a 4 card hand, one dealer card of the        four may optionally be turned up for the players to observe.    -   G) The first game wager (Ante) was placed by each player in the        game before step B).    -   H) A second “Queens Up” bonus bet may be optionally made by each        player before step B), wagering in the bonus bet that the        player's resulting 4-card poker hand will have a poker rank of a        Queen high or better.    -   I) Each player must decide whether to continue play of the game        (by placing a second game bet or play bet) or fold after the        dealer has determined by the rules of the game in steps C)-F)        how many cards will be present in the dealer's hand, and by any        information provided by dealer up cards.

J) The Play Wager is equal to the Ante in a preferred form of theinvention. In other forms of the invention, the play bet is more or lessthan the Ante.

K) The Play in the underlying game on the Ante and the Play Wager isPlayer vs. Dealer. The highest hand wins. In one form of the invention,each player makes his best four card hand from the five available cards.If the Player wins, the Ante and Play Wager are paid, the Ante beingpaid at least one-to-one. Typically the Ante and Bet are paid 1:1 butother pay structures such as 2:1 or 3:1, etc. are contemplated by thepresent invention. If the Dealer wins, the Dealer collects both the Anteand Play Wager. If the Dealer's hand and Player's hand tie, the Ante andthe Play Wager bets are a push.

-   -   L) There is an Ante Bonus that is paid for high-ranking hands,        independent of the Queens Up bonus event. This payout is based        solely on the Ante and does not require an independent wager.        One exemplary Ante Bonus may be paid for attaining at least a        Straight Flush. A typical pay table is shown below.

Ante Bonus Payouts Hand Payout Four Aces 100:1  Four of a Kind 20:1Straight Flush 10:1

-   -   M) Winning Hand Ranking on the 4-card poker Ante bonus is (High        to Low): 4 Aces, Four-of-a-Kind, and Straight Flush.    -   N) The Queens Up bet is a side bet against a pay table. The pay        table is a compilation of winning arrangements of cards and        corresponding payout odds. Typically the pay table lists winning        hand arrangements in descending order. A typical Queens Up Pay        table is shown below:

Queens Up Side Bet Payouts Hand Payout 4 of a Kind 50:1  Straight Flush40:1  3 of a Kind 8:1 Flush 4:1 Straight 3:1 Two Pair 2:1 Pair of Queensor Better 1:1

-   -   Payouts on the Queens Up side bet are independent of the        relative rank between a Player's hand and the Dealer's hand.        When the Player has made the Queens Up bet and is dealt a hand        with a rank of a Pair of Queens or higher, the Player is paid        odds on the amount of the Queens Up wager. The amount of the        Queens Up wager may be placed independently up to the Table        Limit.    -   O) Table hand ranking on the Queens Up side bet is identical to        play of the underlying 4-card poker game. The side bet on Queens        Up also pays for Three-of-a-Kind, Flush, Straight, 2 Pair and        Pairs of Queens or higher, in descending order.

Other variations in the game are possible based on the above-describedplay of a preferred version of the game of the invention exemplified bythe 6-5-4 Poker™ game. For example, after step D), the player may beallowed to surrender a portion of the player's wager, for example halfthe wager rather than fold. Variations in the amount of the play wager(e.g., from 1× to 1.5×, 2×, 2.5×, 3× and more) may be allowed, either asa fixed wager required or at the option of the player.

Within the scope of the invention that has been defined, there are anumber of features that can be identified as unique to the practice ofthe present invention. Among these features are at least believed to be:

-   -   1) The use of automatic rules in a Casino Table Poker game that        require a dealer to discard at least one card, independent or        dependent on rank, and/or suit.    -   2) Potentially requiring a dealer to discard more than one card        from a hand with a fixed number of cards.    -   3) Potentially discarding a variable number of cards from the        dealer's hand only.    -   4) Allowing a player to alter an initial wager after a dealer        has been compelled to discard cards of rank that were        potentially advantageous to the dealer.

The following example will describe a complete round of play of theexemplary 6-5-4 Poker™ game of the present invention. For simplicity,the table will be described with four players present in positions 12,14, 16 and 18 and a dealer, when additional players (typically 7) couldbe at a table. A standard 52-card deck without wild cards or jokers isused.

A table 10 similar to a standard blackjack table is provided as shown inFIG. 1. There are seven player positions, 12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 and 24and one dealer position. At each player position there is an area forreceiving cards 26 a-g, an area 28 a-g for placing an Ante Wager, anarea 30 a-g for placing a Play wager, and an area 32 a-g for placing aside bet bonus wager on the above described Queens Up bonus wager. Thefirst two players (in areas 12 and 14) place $5.00 Ante Wagers and $5.00Queens Up side bets. The second two players (in areas 16 and 18) place$5.00 Ante Wagers and no Queens Up wagers. No players are present inareas 20, 22 and 24.

The dealer is dealt six (6) cards face down in area 34 in front of chiptray 36 and each of the players is dealt five (5) cards face down intoareas 26 a-g. The cards are dealt in batches of five cards to eachplayer and six cards to the dealer after all initial wagers are placed(the Ante and the Queens Up side bet). The players can examine theircards at this time. It does not actually matter (as far as individualplayers are concerned) whether player cards are exposed or not, but tolimit player knowledge of potential cards in the dealer's hand, theplayer cards remain face down and unexposed to other players.

The dealer then turns up one of the initial six (6) cards dealt to thedealer, typically the last card dealt. If the card is a rank of 10 orhigher (e.g., 10, Jack, Queen, King or Ace), the dealer must discardthat first card that was turned face up. Players may be required toplace their Play Wager at this time, even before a second card is turnedface up, but that is a game variant not present in this example. If thefirst card turned up was a rank of nine (9) or lower, that card would beretained as the up card for the dealer, and the players are thenrequired to make a decision on whether to fold (discard their hand andgive their Ante Wager to the casino) or place the Play Wager.

In this example, the first card the dealer turns up is the Jack ofhearts (the suit is immaterial in this example) and therefore mustdiscard the Jack of hearts because the rank exceeds 10 or higher. Theplayers are not required to make a Play Wager at this time, but may waituntil the dealer turns up and exposes a second card from the remaining5-Card working hand. Again, if the second turned up card is apredetermined minimum rank (it will be assumed that the predeterminedrank is the same for the second card as it is for the first turned updealer's card, but that is not essential), that card must be discarded.Another variant would be to discard if a predetermined maximum rank wasnot met. After the automatic rule has been exercised as to whether thesecond turned up card must be discarded or retained, the players mustdecide whether to fold their hand or make the Play Wager.

It is assumed in this example that the second card was a King ofdiamonds because the rule in the example of the invention is to discarda second card that is 10 or higher in rank. The dealer must discard theKing of diamonds. The dealer then exposes a third card, (of fouravailable cards) which remains turned up and remains in play. The firsttwo discards from the dealer's hand (the Jack of hearts and the King ofdiamonds) have been placed in a discard rack and are no longer in play.The dealer now turns-up the eight of spades as the third exposed card.

The players now have five cards from which to build a best 4-card pokerhand, while the dealer must play the four cards that remain in thedealer's position. This possibility gives a significant appearance andperception of potential player advantage and constitutes one of theattractive player features of the 6-5-4 Poker game.

The first player in position 12 examines his five card hand, finds thereare two pairs (e.g., six of Hearts and six of clubs, nine of diamondsand nine of spades) in that players hand, decides to remain in play ofthe game, and places a $5.00 Play Wager on the table.

The second player in position 14 examines his five card hand, findsthere is a pair of threes (e.g., three of clubs and three of diamonds)in that player's hand, decides to remain in play of the game, and placesa $5.00 Play Wager on the table.

The third player in position 16 examines his five card hand, finds thereare three-of-a-kind (e.g., Queen of Hearts, Queen of clubs, and Queen ofdiamonds) in that players hand, decides to remain in play of the game,and places a $5.00 Play Wager on the table.

The fourth player in position 18 examines his five card hand, findsthere are no pairs or any hands of winning rank, decides to withdrawfrom play of the game, and places no Play Wager on the table. The fourthplayer loses his Ante and Queens Up bonus bet, if made.

The dealer then confirms that all player decisions have been made andthen turns the dealer's hand over to expose all cards to the table,revealing the three cards that have been face down until this point. Thedealer's hand is found to have a pair of sixes (e.g., six of clubs andsix of hearts). The dealer arranges the dealer's hand on the table sothat all player's can view the cards and then proceeds to arrange playerhands one at a time to evaluate their highest rank from among the fivecards and arrange the highest ranking player hand at each position forease of view. The first player hand with two pair is displayed, theplayer paid 1:1 on the Ante Wager, 1:1 on the Play wager, and is paid2:1 on the Queens Up bet for two pair. The player hand at the firstposition 12 is then removed and placed into a discard pile or rack. Thedealer then moves to the second player hand.

The second player hand of a pair of three's at position 14 loses all ofthe Ante Wager, the Play Wager and the Queens Up side bet. The secondplayer hand is removed from the table and the wagers and side bet areremoved by the casino. The third player hand is 3 Queens, wins the AnteWager and the Play Wager because the hand beat the pair of 6's, but noQueens Up wager was made. If there are special Ante Wager bonuses forhands of particularly high ranks, the three-of-a-kind might be paid abonus. However, in a preferred form of play, the player hand must be astraight flush or better to win an Ante bonus. Otherwise, the wager isresolved on the Ante Wager and Play Wager, the player being paid 1:1 orboth the Ante and Play wagers, and the third player hand is removed fromthe table.

The fourth player hand had already been removed, so it is not in play.

The dealer then shuffles the cards and another round of play is engaged.

Although specific examples and features have been described, alternativeembodiments are within the skill of the artisan for use with theunderlying game of the invention. The game may be played with playersreceiving exactly the number of cards needed to form the competing handor may receive more than enough cards to form the competing hand andthey select from the available cards to form the best competing hand.Wild cards may be added, and additional side bets may be made on thegame, such as wagering how many dealer cards will be discarded on ahand.

1. A method of playing a poker game comprising: a player makes an Antewager to play in the poker game, a first number of cards is dealt to theplayer, a second number of cards is dealt to a dealer, the second numberof cards dealt to the dealer being greater then the first number,displaying at least a first card from the second number of cards dealtto the dealer, discarding the at least first card according to anautomatic decision game rule, allowing the dealer to play the dealerhand with fewer then the second number of cards dealt to the dealer, andplaying the poker game to conclusion according to the game rules.
 2. Amethod of playing an X-card poker game comprising a player making anAnte wager to play in the poker game, dealing a first number of X cardsto a player and dealing a second number of at least X+1 cards to adealer, displaying at least a first card from the second number of X+1cards, discarding the at least first card according to automaticallyplayed game rules, when the automatically played game rules require adiscard from the dealer's hand of at least X+1 cards, turning overanother card from the dealer's hand so that one card is face-up, andplaying the poker game to conclusion according to the game rules.
 3. Themethod of claim 2 wherein the at least X+1 cards comprises X+2 cards. 4.The method of claim 3 wherein X+2 is six.
 5. The method of claim 3wherein after turning over another card, determining by automatic gamerules whether or not to discard the another card and acting on thatautomatic rule to discard or not discard the another card.
 6. The methodof claim 4 wherein after turning over another card, determining byautomatic game rules whether or not to discard the another card andacting on that automatic rule to discard or not discard the anothercard.
 7. The method of claim 1 wherein after a final number of cards inthe dealer's hand has been determined, requiring the player to either a)fold and forfeit the Ante wager or b) make a play wager to stay in thepoker game.
 8. The method of claim 2 wherein after a final number ofcards in the dealer's hand has been determined, requiring the player toeither a) fold and forfeit the Ante wager or b) make a play wager tostay in the poker game.
 9. The method of claim 3 wherein after a finalnumber of cards in the dealer's hand has been determined, requiring theplayer to either a) fold and forfeit the Ante wager or b) make a playwager to stay in the poker game.
 10. The method of claim 4 wherein aftera final number of cards in the dealer's hand has been determined,requiring the player to either a) fold and forfeit the Ante wager or b)make a play wager to stay in the poker game.
 11. The method of claim 5wherein after a final number of cards in the dealer's hand has beendetermined, requiring the player to either a) fold and forfeit the Antewager or b) make a play wager to stay in the poker game.
 12. The methodof claim 6 wherein after a final number of cards in the dealer's handhas been determined, requiring the player to either a) fold and forfeitthe Ante wager or b) make a play wager to stay in the poker game. 13.The method of claim 3 wherein X is four and the play wager must bebetween 1 times and 2 times the Ante wager, inclusively.
 14. The methodof claim 2 wherein the automatic rules require that a first dealer's upcard be discarded if its rank equals or exceeds a first predeterminedminimum rank.
 15. The method of claim 13 wherein the automatic rulesrequire that the another up card be discarded if its rank equals orexceeds a second predetermined minimum rank.
 16. The method of claim 14wherein the first predetermined rank and the second predetermined rankare the same rank.
 17. The method of claim 13 wherein the firstpredetermined rank and the second predetermined rank are differentranks.
 18. The method of claim 2 wherein a side bet wager may be placedon a player attaining at least a predetermined rank to win payoffs thatmay exceed the amount of the side bet.
 19. The method of claim 8 whereina side bet wager may be placed on a player attaining at least apredetermined rank to win payoffs that may exceed the amount of the sidebet.
 20. The method of claim 9 wherein a side bet wager may be placed ona player attaining at least a predetermined rank to win payoffs that mayexceed the amount of the side bet.
 21. The method of claim 10 wherein aside bet wager may be placed on a player attaining at least apredetermined rank to win payoffs that may exceed the amount of the sidebet.